Organization

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), one of the Department of Homeland Security's largest and most complex components, was created from the blending of the United States Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, United States Border Patrol, and the Agriculture Quarantine Inspection section of the United States Department of Agriculture in order to produce a unified border agency. CBP enforces the laws and regulations of the United States in order to accomplish its primary mission of securing the nation's borders from terrorists and terrorist weapons while at the same time facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. In addition, CBP has the responsibility to protect America's food supply and agricultural industry.

The CBP Office of Training and Development (OTD) focuses its training efforts, based on operational requirements, at a nationwide network of training academies and facilities, including, among others, the Field Operations Academy (FOA), Border Patrol Academy (BPA), Air and Marine Operations Academy (AMOA), Advanced Training Center (ATC), Canine Centers – Front Royal (CCFR) and El Paso (CCEP), and Trade and Cargo Academy (TCA).

OTD is an active participant of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) processes, having attained and maintained accredited status for individual programs and academies. Additionally, OTD works with the American Council on Education (ACE) to achieve college credit recommendations for training delivered through its network of academies and training centers.